Places Where You Can Walk on Water

A new report from the Nature Conservancy says that as global warming speeds up, only around 25 percent of river ecosystems in the contiguous U.S. are likely to survive the effects of climate change. 

If steps are taken toward conservation and restoration, 35 percent of them could help sustain biodiversity; however, most of those waterways are not protected today. According to the lead author, thousands of freshwater ecosystems suffer from habitat destruction and many rivers have dams and diversions that obstruct the movement of different species.

The researchers evaluated rivers on their connectivity—allowing fish and other creatures to move along them—water availability, health of the water, adjacent land, and natural flow. The study did not single out specific rivers but instead focused on river systems and freshwater networks like the Suwannee River Basin in the Southeast, the Colorado River system in the Southwest, and the Columbia in the Northwest. 

The study was published in PLOS One.

Included in the order is a requirement that the Interior Department facilitate converting decommissioned offshore oil and gas rigs into permanent artificial reefs. However, Kristen Monsell of the Center for Biological Diversity said that was a handout to the oil industry, allowing it to avoid responsibility for the mess left in the oceans. She added that ocean platforms were never designed to be healthy reefs and they can serve as a hub for invasive species.

The order goes further to establish a task force about sharks to address cases where they and marine mammals take fish from an angler’s line. Andrea Treece, a spokesperson for Earthjustice said it appears aimed at easing restrictions on the shark trade, which has been widely limited by U.S. law.

In yet another order, the president is rolling back Biden-era regulations that limited the use of lead by anglers and hunters in certain areas. The restriction protected wildlife and ecosystems from the risk of lead poisoning.

So-called “rock glaciers” are hidden under piles of rock, gravel, and debris. It’s been known that they exist. You could have easily hiked across one in the high peaks of Colorado, the Wasatch Range in Utah, or the Tetons in Wyoming and not known it. Another unknown, the amount of ice—and the possible water supply they contain. 

That is until now. University of Utah geologists studying one of the state’s largest rock glaciers below the summit of Mount Timpanogos near Salt Lake City, say it contains 1,550,000 cubic meters of ice—enough to fill the largest pyramid in Egypt. 

So, how did they come up with that figure? Gravity. Earth's gravitational field varies slightly by location. Standing over dense bedrock, you would weigh a teensy bit more than you would standing above a vast cave. Because ice has less density and mass than rock, the team used a gravimeter to measure tiny changes in gravity to help them paint a picture of what hid underneath the Timpanogos Rock Glacier and develop a detailed 3D map.

There are at least 1,500 active rock glaciers across the western U.S. and they provide a unique source of water because they release it year-round, including at the end of summer when other sources have been depleted. Because rock glaciers aren’t exposed to sunlight and are insulated from rising temperatures, they are a climate-resilient supply. Understanding how much ice rock glaciers store and how they do it can help water managers plan for a warming world.  

Another benefit? Streams fed by rock glaciers are critical environmental refuges—places likely to stay cooler while everything around them warms and where cold-water wildlife in high-mountain ecosystems can survive.

The Utah study was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.

Each Throne, developed by Throne Labs, is solar-powered, climate controlled, and ADA-accessible. The interiors are fully touchless with a pleasing graffiti-proof leafy wallpaper design. The self-contained units don’t require connections to water, sewer, or power infrastructure, allowing them to be moved to locations where they’re needed. The company will send out real humans to clean the Thrones around every 15 uses and will maintain them using real-time feedback to respond quickly to units that need attention.

To enter the bathrooms, residents can text a number or use a QR code, or access them through the Throne Bathroom Network app. They can also obtain a card distributed by community partners. The app allows users to find the nearest Throne, check real-time cleanliness ratings, and see whether it’s available. A local homeless organization voiced concerns about access for people without a smartphone. So far, Throne Labs operates bathrooms in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Atlanta, Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Detroit.

The only possible catch with the Thrones is that when your time is up, it’s up. There is a ten-minute limit and whether you’re ready or not, the door will slide open. "This is not a place to scroll on your phone." Mamdani said. As Gothamist reports, as an occupant approaches the limit, a speaker inside the unit tells them they’re running out of time and then warns that the door is opening. Mamdani said when announcing the one-year pilot, the Thrones will “soon become the number one place to go number two.”